baba ghanoush

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I was up till 2am working on homework…that I’m still no where near finished with. We are currently working on color theory and that seems to also include watercolor. I have to make 2 colour charts and render a fashion illustration using 2 of the “water colour techniques” listed in the assignment hand out. I’m HORRIBLE with water colour. Thankfully Chris joined me at our dining room table, sketching away and testing out his new brushes he got a couple months ago. We blasted music and chatted away….this could be a contributing factor for why I don’t have as much done as I had hoped to.

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Tired from yesterday and overwhelmed with how much work I still have to do, I thought I would blog (procrastinate) a little. I saw the William-Sonoma recipe for Baba Ghanoush and thought I would give it a try.  They use the BBQ to char the eggplant…we did not. Our grill is pretty much frozen shut and there was no way I was going outside if I didn’t have to ( I HATE being cold). I looked up the directions for the oven, but used the ingredients and recipe directions from the William-Sonoma. We chopped up some vegetables, grabbed a handful of crackers and I toasted up some sweet potato slices in the hot oven.

I can’t wait till summer to use the BBQ we will definitely try it again!

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INGREDIENTS:  (WILLIAM-SONOMA, OVEN DIRECTIONS AT BOTTOM)

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 1/4 cup tahini, plus more as needed
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
  • Large pinch of ground cumin
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill. Preheat an oven to 375°F.Prick the eggplant with a fork in several places and place on the grill rack 4 to 5 inches from the fire. Grill, turning frequently, until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh just begins to feel soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet and bake until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin. Place the eggplant flesh in a bowl.

Using a fork, mash the eggplant to a paste. Add the 1/4 cup tahini, the garlic, the 1/4 cup lemon juice and the cumin and mix well. Season with salt, then taste and add more tahini and/or lemon juice, if needed.

Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and spread with the back of a spoon to form a shallow well. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and sprinkle with the parsley.

Serve at room temperature.
 
OVEN DIRECTIONS:
  • Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and turn broiler on (high heat). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  • Place eggplants onto the baking sheet and prick in several places using a fork. This helps steam escape while the eggplants roast.
  • Broil eggplants 2 minutes on all sides. The skin will darken a little and begin to smell smoky, adding lots of flavor to the dip.
  • Turn broiler off, but do not remove eggplants from the oven. Heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C). Roast eggplants 25 to 30 minutes, or until very soft. Cool 10 to 15 minutes until easily handled.
 
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